The Torah Study Basic Law failed in a Knesset plenum vote Tuesday evening, with Shas and United Torah Judaism absenting themselves, according to journalist Moti Kastel. The bill, which would have equated Torah study with national service, faced opposition from Yisrael Beitenu chairman Avigdor Liberman, who voted against.
The Torah Study Basic Law failed in a Knesset plenum vote on Tuesday evening, with Shas and United Torah Judaism absenting themselves. Journalist Moti Kastel reported the development, noting that Yisrael Beitenu chairman Avigdor Liberman voted against the bill, which he described as "right-wing" in his opposition.
The bill, which sought to grant Torah study constitutional status as an act of national service, has been one of the coalition's most contentious legislative items. Earlier this month, as The Zioneer reported, MKs from across the political spectrum — including Benny Gantz (National Unity), Yuli Edelstein (National Unity), and Dan Illouz (Likud) — voted against earlier versions of the legislation. Allies had cautioned that the law could damage Israel's international standing, with Tal Schneider reporting that countries once considered allies were sanctioning ministers over the initiative.
The failure marks a significant setback for the coalition's Haredi partners, who had made the bill a condition for supporting other coalition legislation. Shas and UTJ had previously issued ultimatums threatening to block all coalition bills unless the Torah Study Basic Law and a freeze on arrests of draft-evading yeshiva students were approved. The bill's defeat now leaves those demands unmet and raises questions about the coalition's ability to advance its agenda.
Liberman, in voting against, cast himself as opposing what he saw as a right-wing measure that would undermine the principle of equal service. The outcome leaves open the question of whether the coalition will attempt to revive the legislation in a different form or pivot to other priorities.
- DevelopingEdelstein and Illouz vote against Torah Study Basic Law
- DevelopingShas and Degel HaTorah Torah Study Basic Law bills diverge in Knesset vote schedule
- StrongOpposition leaders blast Basic Law on Torah study after preliminary Knesset vote
- StrongMinisterial committee approves Basic Law: Torah Study; Haredi parties call it merely declarative without equal-status clause
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